Marc VDS Head to First Official ELMS Test Published: 23 Mar 2015Le Castellet, France – March 23 2015: BMW Team Marc VDS begin their European Le Mans Series (ELMS) season with the official test at Paul Ricard HTTT on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 March. It will be the first appearance of the BMW Z4 GTE in the ELMS, driven by Henry Hassid, Jesse Krohn and Andy Priaulx.
There are several new experiences lying in wait for the Belgian squad; as well as the BMW Z4 GTE’s European debut, it is the team’s first season in the ELMS and first with a GTE car. It is also the first on Dunlop tyres, which all the GT cars in the series must run.
Testing at Imola on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 March brought the team a huge step forwards, and gave them their first experience of the Dunlop tyre. All three drivers were positive, with good feedback for the tyre’s consistency and long life over a stint.
There was also a leap towards finding a base set up for the car, a different challenge with a gentleman driver – Hassid – aboard. A consistent and comfortable car is crucial, especially as GTE regulations prohibit anti-lock brakes. Though there are many similarities with the GT3 car, with which the team have great experience, there are plenty of differences to take into account.
Paul Ricard’s test will be the first time the team are alongside their 2015 competitors, and it will be vital for them to gauge their position relative to the field. They will also be looking for further progress with their understanding of the car, before the first race at Silverstone on April 11.
Jesse Krohn, BMW Z4 GTE #52“Working with the team has been as great as I expected. I’ve seen Marc VDS in competition for years, and they’re just as good as I hoped and even a little bit better. I’m getting used to the car more and more, and learning new things with every single change. Henry has surprised me – he’s really quick, really on it and he’s working very hard on his driving. He’s a good addition to the team, and a very important one. Our target is to win the ELMS, and we’re working as hard as we can to achieve that goal. So far the feeling within the team is really positive, so I’ve got good feelings for this season.”
Sebastien Metz, Technical Director“I’m really interested to get to Paul Ricard and see where we stand in this ELMS field. If we are realistic, we can’t expect to win every race, because we are the first to run this car on European tracks, and we’re racing against hugely experienced teams. This is a fantastic car, but we’ve had very little running and that makes our task a little difficult. Saying that, I believe that if we focus we can have a great season. We made good progress with the recent Imola test - it was the first time we’d run the GTE car on the Dunlops. The tyre is quite consistent as a whole, and we can see the performance is there, so the first feedback is definitely positive. I just want to get the racing underway now!”
and Jesse Krohn, you say? Who the hello is this?
He's from the BMW Motorsport Junior program and the M235iR series. See here, an interview from BMW Motorsport with Jesse Krohn:
Having gained valuable experience in the BMW M235i Racing, with which he competed at selected races in 2014, Jesse Krohn is now taking the next step in his career as a GT driver. Three questions for... Jesse KrohnJesse, how was your first test in the BMW Z4 GTE?Jesse Krohn: “That was a really good experience. It took me a few laps to get used to the lack of ABS, which, unlike in the BMW Z4 GT3, is not used in the GTE version. After that, however, I felt right at home in the car. It suits my driving style far better than the BMW M235i Racing. I like to drive a clean line, which is obviously a lot easier with the aerodynamically more sophisticated GT car than with the production-based car, which slides around a lot.”
How are you getting on with the Marc VDS Racing team?Krohn: “It was a great first get-together. The guys are very professional, and I am proud to be a part of the team for the coming season. Whenever we needed to change anything on the car, they did it straight away. I am sure I will learn an awful lot from them.”
When it comes to experience, you will surely benefit from working alongside your team-mate Andy Priaulx...Krohn: “Andy is a great team-mate. We have got on very well since the moment we met. I am certain I will learn an incredible amount from him. Hopefully I can match him for speed, so that we can enjoy a successful season together in the ELMS.”
